Moonlighters
by breakingelle
Summary: Rose Addvar is a Nord thief. For most of her life she's seen thieves come and go without a second thought. Then she meets Cato, a young Imperial who seems to be hiding something. With one glance she falls madly in love, but can she figure out his secret and what it will mean for the Thieves Guild?
1. The Savior

"He's a Imperial. Very big and very muscular but I think he'll do just fine for the guild. That lad had the ring in Brand-Sei's pocket before I had finished my first sentence. This is the one, I feel it." Brynjolf let out a short laugh as he took a deep gulp from his tankard.

"You've become very redundant Brynjolf. You keep saying that over and over again. When is it going to be true?" A young Nord woman snorted from across the table. Her wavy blond hair was pulled into a tight ponytail and her features were sharp yet pretty. Her unusual forest green eyes shone with skepticism.

"Rose has got a point there ole' boy. I've got three recruits back in the cistern that don't know their ass from their elbow." Delvin Mallory scowled leaning back in his chair as he watched his comrades. "When is this savior going to get here anyway? I wanna see if he shines with holy light."

"He should be here soon if he chose to come. Rose, why don't you take a walk down to the Ratway entrance and see if he's arrived?" Brynjolf smiled slyly as he watched the woman's lips turn up into a scowl, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

"So what am I now? Errand girl?" Rose snapped turning her nose upward and crossing her slender arms. "You're such sexist pigs. If I wasn't here you wouldn't even think of going to meet him at the entrance. Since when have we ever done that anyway?"

"Lass, I'm not the sexist pig." Bryn laughed. "I think its Delvin here who you're referring too."

"I take full responsibility for my actions." Delvin sniffed as he gripped his bottle of Black-Briar Mead. "I'm sick of this stuff. Rose, love, while you're out there why don't you grab us something a little different." His voice was teasing but Rose hissed in disgust.

"Whatever you two lousy oafs!" She got up and smacked both of them in the back of the head while they laughed loudly at her frivolous anger. "I don't know how I've put up with you this long! Let alone I don't know how Tonilia or Vex have done it longer than me!"

"Patience is a virtue darling." Delvin snickered and then continued to receive another smack across the back of his bald head. "Ouch!"

"Rose, looks like you won't be needing to go up to the Ratway. There's the lad now." Brynjolf stood up as an Imperial man stepped into the torchlight of the Ragged Flagon.

Rose turned to look at the new recruit and her breath caught in her throat. He was young and muscular with short brown hair and soft intelligent blue eyes. His skin was darker as most Imperial's were, but unlike his race he was as tall as a Nord.

"Brynjolf are you serious? He's about a the size of a mammoth! I bet he sneaks like one too!" Delvin scoffed, shaking his head.

"Delv, give him a chance. Bryn is no small man yet he's second in command." Rose muttered, her gaze never leaving the Imperial.

"Sweetheart, I think it's the lust talking." Delvin said as he glanced over at Rose who was looking very dreamy-eyed.

Brynjolf glared at his partners but he said nothing else as he strode toward the Imperial. "Welcome lad! I'm glad you made it down here, I was starting to worry you had second thoughts about joining the guild."

"Nothing like that. I was just wasn't expecting the welcoming committee I met on the way down here." He spoke in a thick Cyrodilic accent.

"Gotta keep the common rabble out of here somehow." Bryn chuckled. "Anyway, I don't think I caught your name out in the marketplace."

"I am Cato Vinius." He stated simply.

Brynjolf smiled and motioned towards where Rose and Delvin were sitting. "You know who I am so I'll introduce you to some of my…colleagues. The Breton is Delvin Mallory. He is well known in the guild and will take care of your numbers, fishing, and bedlam jobs. The pretty little Nord lass beside him is Rose Addvar who doesn't really do anything in particular. More than likely she'll be your mentor."

Rose rolled her eyes at his statement and looked away from Cato who was now staring at her curiously. She turned her back on him and Brynjolf as the senior thief started to explain how the guild worked. "You think he is the Talos of all thieves?" She whispered to Delvin.

"I can tell you he won't be transformed into a God if that's what you're asking." Delvin snorted as he drank the last of the mead in his tankard. "If you want the serious answer, than no. Look at the poor fool! He's a giant! You can't pick somebody's pocket when you look like that." The man shook his head. "I'm telling you Rose, this is the end of the Thieves Guild."

Rose pursed her lips at Delvin's words. "Stop being such a pessimist you old bat. Maybe he won't be the one to save us but this can't be the end for us thieves. We've gone through rough patches and we can overcome them again."

The older thief chuckled darkly. "We'll see. If we do come out of this in my lifetime I'll strip naked and play a lute in front of Maven Black-Briar's summer home." He snickerd. Rose threw back her head and laughed. "Don't you _ever_ do that Mallory." Delvin only smiled slyly.

The two thieves became silent as Brynjolf and Cato approached them. "Lass, take our new recruit to Tonilia. She's in the cistern. He needs a new set of armor."

"What about Mercer? I don't know what he'll do when he sees me with a new recruit. He's getting quite snappy with you and all these rookies." Rose sighed as she stood up slowly.

"He's out meeting Maven so we shouldn't have to worry about him until nightfall. If he does appear then send someone to get me. I'll be here in the Flagon and Vex should be back soon with whatever she was doing. She knows who this lad is, she was watching the exchange in the marketplace earlier." Brynjolf answered. "I bet she's down bathing at the lake again…I might have to take little adventure and sneak a peek at her fine-" Delvin was cut off abruptly by Rose.

"Please don't start Delv. I do _not_ want to hear your dirty mouth anymore today." She hissed. Delvin chortled and stood up stiffly to grab another drink from the bar. "Don't worry sweetheart, I'll save it for you to hear tomorrow." He winked and walked off as Rose tuned on her heel with Cato following close behind.

"So you know anything about the Thieves Guild?" Rose asked the Imperial. "Or did you just decide to join when Bryn handed you the offer?" She hadn't meant to sound cold but her words sharp. Cato didn't seem to notice or he just ignored her tone as he continued to answer her question flatly. "I was a thief back home in Cyrodiil. Really, I've been one my whole life but I never joined the guild until a year ago. The Thalmor have pretty much wiped them out back home. What groups still exist are corrupt and can no longer be called Thieves Guild. Really its just bandits that give themselves the title. I left soon after I joined and traveled to Skyrim."

Rose frowned when he finished speaking. Mercer hadn't told anyone of this, all he had said was that the Cyrodiil guild was under tough times as well. The way Cato put it, the guild no longer existed. This worried her greatly. _'Maybe Delvin's curse is true.' _She thought grimly.

"How long have you been in the guild?" Cato asked, his voice quiet as they entered the large cistern.

"I've been officially with the guild since I was twelve. I'm seventeen now. You do the math." Rose grumbled, stopping in the middle of the cistern. The thieves in the room looked up when they heard Rose's voice, but their eyes were trained on Cato. They all seemed to disapprove and they went back to their tasks sullenly.

"Alright, this is the cistern. You sleep, eat, and socialize here. There are some archery targets, a grindstone, and an alchemy table over there if you're into that kind of stuff, but by the looks of you I'm guessing your best friend is a war hammer." Rose remarked, taking a quick glance at his huge muscles. "Over there through that hall is where the training room is and where you'll be spending a lot of your time if Mercer approves of you."

"I'm guessing Mercer is your guild master." Cato commented.

"You guess right. Mercer Frey isn't the most happy-go-lucky Breton but he's a good man and deserves his position." Her voice was strained and Cato glanced over at her curiously but said nothing.

"Speak of the Daedra, there he is now." Rose muttered, grabbing Cato's arm. She jerked away quickly as a shiver snaked down her spine. Sheepishly, she looked up into his soft blue eyes. He stared back at her with his lips slightly parted in shock. "Um, come on…back to the Flagon before Mercer sees you." Rose breathed, ducking her head and hurrying away. She was quickly stopped by a callused hand gripping her shoulder.

"Rose, who is this?" Mercer Frey's voice was flat and cold as he spun her around to face him. Her eyes were downcast and she crossed her arms tightly across her chest. "Brynjolf's new protégé." She answered simply. "I have nothing to do with it I'm just showing him around and taking him to Tonilia."

"Mhm, well go fetch the fool before I get angry. My mood has already been soured today." Mercer growled, shooing the Nord girl away with a flick of his hand. Cato followed the exchange with narrowed eyes. His fists were clenched tightly as he watched Rose slink away.

Mercer noticed this and he frowned. "Fancy, our little Rosebud, Imperial?" He scoffed. "Not a wise choice. She's a little bitch with quick hands and good eyes. She'll hang you out to dry real quick." His grinned faltered when Cato didn't respond to his taunting.

"Mercer, I wasn't expecting you to be back until moonrise." Byrnjolf approached the two men with cautious steps. Rose followed close behind him eyeing Cato curiously. "I picked this one off of the streets. I know I've said this a hundred times but I think he's the one. I feel it in my bones."

"You're right, you have said that a hundred times. I won't believe you until you're right. But, I'll give him a chance seeing as to how slow things are going on around here. I'm not waiting weeks to see if he's worth anything though. He starts now. His first job is Goldengolw Estate."


	2. A Flagon Fight

"Ah, Goldenglow. It's our sweetest job. Pretty much our _only _job." Delvin sighed and looked across the table at Cato and Rose. The new recruit had been assigned to infiltrate Goldenglow. Delvin almost felt sorry for him. _Almost._

"To understand why the estate is so important you must know who Maven Black-Briar is and why she scares the hell out of everyone in this town. Maven is…the unofficial owner of Riften. She controls everything, while also running the very successful Black-Briar Meadery. Whatever Maven wants, Maven gets. No matter the cost. Like everything else, Maven controls the Goldenglow Estate, a honey farm. The Guild is paid to make sure that the honey flows constantly to Maven's meadery by keeping the workforce in line and scaring off potential competitors. In return we are allowed to take huge sums of money from Aringoth, the owner. However, the shipments have suddenly ceased and when Vex was sent to investigate she found an army of mercenaries. Maven isn't pleased and when she isn't happy we might as well slit our own throats. So to teach the little Tree Climber a lesson you're being sent in to burn down three of his hives and clear out his safe." Delvin finished his speech and leaned back in his chair.

"I can do that." Cato stated simply.

Rose and Delvin glanced at each other across the table then back to Cato. "Do you not understand how difficult this job will be!?" Rose gasped. "Even Vex, the best infiltrator we have, couldn't get in and out without almost dying!"

"I can do this." Cato shrugged and stared at Rose impassively.

"Well, I'm glad you have confidence because you're sure as hell going to need it once you get there." Delvin said carefully as he eyed the fuming Rose and stoic Cato.

"If you think you're so good and cool why don't you show me some of your moves. Since the second you got here you act like you can take down a dragon with one word." Rose grumbled. A wide grin crossed Cato's face and he let out a chuckle. "Well, maybe I can."

Rose narrowed her eyes at his weird behavior. He was impossible to read when his emotions changed from second to second! "So was that a yes to taking me on in a challenge?" She growled.

Cato only smiled wider. "Was that an official invitation? Is so, I'll accept."

"Woah, boy you don't know what you've gotten yourself into!" Delvin warned. "Besides Mercer, Rose is the best swordsman in the Guild. She doesn't play as nice as she looks."

"That's quite alright." Cato smirked, his eyes never leaving Rose's. "I can best her."

With mischievous eyes Rose answered. "Then if you think you can, let's fight."

In only a matter of minutes the Flagon had been turned from a bar into a fighting ring. The tables and chairs had been pushed up against the walls at the first mention of the word brawl. Every member in the guild, except Mercer, crowded around in a circle to watch. Word had spread quickly that the new recruit had dared to challenge the famous Rose Addvar to a sword fight.

The two opponents stood facing each other with their swords drawn and at the ready. Rose looked like a bat out of hell, very angry and ready to fight. Cato on the other hand looked like he had just finished taking a stroll through the Eldergleam Sanctuary. One of the thieves in the crowd entered the middle of the circle and stood between the two swordsman.

"Alright!" He called out and the crowd fell silent, their eyes on the thief. "We've had a challenge against our sweet little Rosebud. This Imperial thinks he can best her at her own game!" The crowd erupted with laughter but quickly settled down as the thief raised his hand. "We have no rules in this game except no killing. Play as dirty as you like, Rose I know that won't be a problem for you." He winked at her and she couldn't help but smile. "So…fight!" He rushed out of the circle and the games began.

Rose's green eyes watched Cato's every move. Every side step, every twitch of his hand, every time his eyes flickered away from her she saw it and anticipated his next movement. They circled each other for a long time before the Nord woman made the first advance forward. The clang of metal on metal pierced the air of the Ragged Flagon and thieves cheered. Cato countered the attack, making Rose stagger. She was surprised at his quick reflexes and decided she would have to play more carefully than she had first thought. For someone his size he sure moved fast.

Rose quickly regained her composure and didn't waste any time prancing around him. She attacked again, her blade blurring through the air with incredible speed. Cato could hardly keep up with her maneuvers let alone make any of his own. She was backing him up against the thieves who were darting away as to not get stabbed by Rose's wild blows. Cato had to do something fast or he would be backed up in a corner with no escape. Luckily he got an opening, one of Rose's blows was weaker than the others. He was able to turn his sword in a way that would usually disarm the opponent but Rose's sword only quivered. She knew the move and was able to counter it but only just in time. Now she was the one being backed into a corner. His blows were strong but not as quick as Rose's. They were evenly matched, neither seeming to ever tire.

Then Rose did something very unexpected. She ducked out of the fight. Cato's sword swung through the air at a target that was not longer there. He whirled around looking for the girl but she was nowhere to be seen. The thieves around him laughed and laughed, seeming to know something that he did not.

"That's our Rose!" Brynjolf cackled, slapping his knee and chugging down more mead. Cato couldn't understand why everyone was laughing. They all must have known what was going on. A sharp pain in the back of his legs made him fall to the ground, his sword clamoring loudly as it hit the stone floor. Rose had her sword on his throat and she leaned over at him grinning. "Not so easy as you thought, huh?" She breathed. He only looked back up at her with curiosity and she let him go. The thieves started to disperse, their loud voices joyous.

"This is best mood the guild has ever been in for a long time." Rose commented, offering Cato her hand. He stood up, still looking at her quizzically.

"What?" She snapped, narrowing her eyes.

"I don't understand how you disappeared and reappeared." He huffed, frustrated.

"It was really easy. When I fight, I fight like I would sneak. Everything blends together. Sometimes I even use the techniques for pick pocketing. You have to learn to be flexible and not just rely on flinging your sword around." Rose shrugged.

Cato was thoughtful as he took in her advice. It seemed very logical but he still had no idea how she could just disappear so easily like she did. But he had no time to worry about that anymore because Mercer came into the room looking very upset.

"Get to Goldenglow, now!" He shouted, his anger seeming to come from nowhere.

"What's got you so uptight Merc?" Delvin asked from his seat.

"I just talked to Maven Black-Briar. If we don't get Goldenglow finished by tomorrow morning she's going to cut us off for good. Without Maven we aren't thieves let alone a guild anymore." He snarled.

The room was silent, everyone was taking in his words. Their fate was resting on the shoulders of a man they barely knew.

"Don't worry about it," Cato answered simply. "It'll be done by midnight." They could only rely on his words, but were they true? Could this man save the guild?

"Talos be with him." Rose whispered. "He sure as Oblivion needs him."


End file.
